Projects
Can't Get U!
One of the first songs I was given to mix was Can't get you out of my head by Kylie Minogue. It wasn't the original obviously, it was a remake. I hope you enjoy
This session was completely done with samples and through the use of midi by a client. It came out very close to the original. But, upon listening to the song I discovered it was missing a few synth effects so I decided to add them in with some simple edits and by adding a couple of extra audio channels. this allowed me to edit the session further and go it up to what I thought was the best representation of the song.
During this session I had to make many different edits and make use of different techniques in order to make it sound to the best of its ability, these are edits that I use in every mix, such as fade in and outs as well as chopping up audio making loops etc, techniques like these will be uploaded to the knowledge page shortly.
The Teddy Picker Session
This session was very fun as I do enjoy listening to arctic monkeys. Even though I'm not a huge fan it was still great to see this band pull off the song quite well. Even with the mistakes as they aren't very experienced playing together, that will sort itself in time.
To record this session I used a wide array of mics as well as different techniques on recording them. I learned these techniques throughout my first and second years of the college course.
I got the bass on this song sounding excellent. I did this by essentially running two mics through one track giving it a composite sound as there are two amps for the bass, the top amp head which is more mids and tops and then there's a sub. The sub is a Lanney 1x15 bass cab and the top is a Lanney 4x10 speaker cab.
To mic this up I used an AKGC1000 (C1000 in short) as well as an AKGD112 (D112 in short).
I used the C1000 for the bass as they have a tailored frequency response that takes around 6dB off of the signal from 200Hz down. This makes the bass a little less muddy and also gives this mic mainly mid frequencies to pick up as well as the pick hitting off the string, giving me a clean sound. In addition to this, I used these mics for their cardioid polar pattern. This cuts all signals at a right angle to the mic by 6dB. This makes the signal very clear as there is no spillage, overall cleaning up the signal I get from the mic. I also used this mic for its construction, its shape lets me point the mic directly at the source of the sound I want to pick up (between the cone and the outer side of the amp), giving me the exact sound I wanted to achieve for this speaker cab. These exact reasons are why I also used this mic on the guitar amps on this track.
It also is a condenser (using phantom power of 48V) microphone which means it's very sensitive, this lets us pick up a very clean and bright sound due to it being able to pick up a wider frequency response. Giving me a well-rounded sound. This works as condensers work on the principle of capacitance. This means it works by taking two metal plates (diaphragm and a backplate) and placing them very close together with a voltage between them (48v Phantom Power), as the sound waves vibrate the diaphragm the varying distances between the two plates causes the voltage across the capacitor to change. This is how the mic gets the signal and the reason why it has a wide frequency response is because of how sensitive the plates are.
Onto the other mic I used, I used a D112 on the bass cab as it can pick up frequencies as low as 20Hz, this will fill the space in the mix as nothing else will be picking up frequencies as low as this. Another reason I used it was for its cardioid polar pattern as explained above as it cuts off frequencies to a right angle of it by -6dB. In addition, because it is a dynamic mic it works through the electromagnetic principle, (this is when sound waves agitate/hit a small metallic diaphragm that is attached to a coil of wire, the diaphragm then vibrates in turn causing the coil to vibrate, from there the magnet inside the coil produces a magnetic field which then generates the electric signal in direct correspondence to the sound picked up). This also means it has a high SPL (sound pressure level), meaning it can withstand high volumes of air being thrown at it without distorting. I also used this mic for its tailored frequency response with a boost at 100Hz of 4dB, it also has a boost around 4kHz, this made my bass sound more rounded as the I will get a good sound from the string attack at 4/5kHz as well as a nice deep sound between 70-120Hz.
Overall this gave me a great well rounded, deep bass sound and I was very happy with the result.
Teddy Picker
if you want to listen to the final mix of the song you can below. Although there are a few mistakes that we couldn't fix because of time restraints, I hope I can go back to the session with the band at one point and fix it up.
Extra Session info. Mic Techniques:
In addition to spot mics on this recording, I also used two stereo miking techniques on the drum kit. I used two AB configurations. One AB was over the top of the drum kit as overheads and the other was two room mics.
For the overheads I used two SM27 microphones, I used these as they are cardioid condenser microphones so I could focus on what I wanted to pick up. They also feature a wide and tailored frequency response with a 4.5 dB bump at 6.5 kHz and a 3dB bump around 12.5 kHz. This will add an extra top to my cymbals to make them sound glassier, which is what I want for this mix. These mics also have an attenuation option for 6 dB/octave below 115 Hz, and -18 dB/octave below 80 Hz, this lets you control the low end of the source you’re recording. I also used this mic as it has a -15dB pad you can activate if needed. Overall these mics added more tops to my mix giving me glassier cymbals as well as giving me a little extra ambience in my mix.
For the room mics, I used Neuman U87. I used these mics as they are cardioid condenser mics with a large frequency response (20-20000Hz), they also have an option for the switchable high pass filter if I wanted to clean up the sound a little bit and give you more control of the low-end. However, I felt this wasn’t necessary, these mics have incredible sound quality to them and I believe that becomes apparent when listening to the drums on this song. I was very happy with how my drum sound turned out.
I decided to revisit this session and when I did I noticed I didn't have things sitting in the mix where I wanted them. Upon visiting I added sidechain compression as well as plenty of automation during different parts of the track as well as many aux return tracks. All of which can be viewed on my Instagram where I go into detail about what I have done with the session. the new mix is called Teddy Picker Finalised, and the older mix is the one above, you can view both mixes before and after for yourself.
The mix was bounced out at 44.1kHz at 16 bit so I could give the band a CD copy if they wanted one.
Set Me Free
Because of the vocals I also had to apply de-essers on. every track because of how sibilant the vocalist was. To apply this I inserted the de-esser on the track and set the parameters of: Attack- 0.24ms
Release- 1.24s
Ratio of 3:1
These parameters were very effective and took a lot of the sibilance out from the mix and cleaned up the vocals as well as polished the track.
In this mix due to there being a lot of vocals, I had to make sure there were no unwanted frequencies interrupting or making the mix unclear. To do this, I first put a high pass filter on and took it up too 100Hz. Following this I used the sweep technique and scanned for frequencies that sounded out of place/muffled or unpleasant. I then attenuated these frequencies by around 3-6dB, this cleared up the sound of the vocals well. To finish I decided I wanted the vocals bright so I added a small high shelf. Overall giving me a bright and clear vocal in my song mix.
Down below you can hear the rough mix of the song as well as the finalised, finished mix. Listen out for differences between them such as level differences, automation changes in the song as well a drum differences.
I enjoyed this project very much and spent some good time mixing it to the way I wanted it. However, I didn't want it to sound robotic so there is not too much processing on the track itself.
Here you can listen to the final mixdown of the track.
I do not normally post screenshots on this page. However, when panning this track I followed the floor plan of where each mic position was on the floor. The overall outcome made you feel as if you are standing in front of the singers and they're all playing around you. Making the mix interesting and not feel edited.
When undertaking this project, I had to quickly learn the new software so that the master was finished in time. The end result is very good from this track. You can listen to the unedited and edited file.
Because of file size, they have been compressed into zip folders.
On the left is the unedited file and on the right is the edited file.
Sorry for the inconvenience, this is a temporary fix.
Information on how I fixed up this track will be available on the experience page of my website.
More information on La Fillie is on my experience page. There, you can see the screenshots of how I used the plug-ins to get the sound I achieved.
Unedited version of the song is on the left and the edited version is on the right.
Mistakes
Extra session info. Volume Automation and Panning Automation
In this mix I felt during the solo there was empty space. I felt this as in the song there are two guitar lefts and two guitar rights, yet when the solo comes in it's only the guitar lefts that have the solo. Leaving the song feeling lopsided. To counteract this I used panning automation on all the guitars and used volume automation on both the guitar lefts to bring them up more in the song so that they stand out when the solo actually comes in. For the volume I have the original guitar left -10.2dB then going to -5dB and the overdubbed guitar left I have going from -5.3dB to 1dB. This really makes them stand out in the song during this part.
For the automated panning, I moved one of the right guitars from right to left so I had guitars in each ear playing the chords. The guitar left overdub moved from 36L to the Centre of the mix on the solo with the other guitar left going from 21 left to 10 right. For the right guitars, I had the guitar right overdub go from 34 right to 34 Left. I then had the other guitar right go from 21 Right to 34 Right. All pans went back to their original place after the solo. Overall this made the solo feel whole instead of feeling as if there were gaps missing in the song. Overall the song sounds incredible with all the automation as well as aux returns for the vocals reverbs, snare reverbs and delay on the keys in addition to all the tonal as well as dynamic processing done to it.
"Mistakes" by Elise O'Rouke
I have recorded many different artists within Riverside Music Complex as well as been given many to mix. However, this original song from Elise O’Rouke called ‘mistakes’ has to be up there with one of the best originals I’ve heard so far from the complex/college. The heavy guitars, interesting keys, thick bass, punchy pop drums and lazy vocals do make it a very good and interesting pop/rock song. When mixing this song in Ableton I found that the kick and bass were fighting with each other a lot throughout the song, my first step was to EQ the kick and boost it at 60Hz, this gives the kick more depth and makes it a lot punchier, I then dipped around 120Hz to allow more space for the bass to pop through, next I boosted up around 4-8kHz. This band is for the beater head hitting the skin which gives the kick the power and the roundness it needs as if you take out the frequency the kick has no power. I then EQ’d my bass guitar, I boosted 120Hz to give the bass more low-end power and boosted around 2-5kHz for the string attack. I also dipped the low mids around 200-500 to make the bass less muddy. However, even after using EQ to ensure the bass and kick were occupying their own space, the two tracks were still clashing, this is when I decided I would use sidechain compression on this track.
Using sidechain compression on the bass track would let the kick pass through easier. To do this method, insert a compressor onto the track you want to side-chain (the bass in my case) and select where you want the audio coming from (the kick in my track). From there, using the dials, adjust how much you want the compressors Gain Reduction to take off to let through the kick. This sort of thing is also used in dance tracks to make things pulse and sound as if they’re thumping. Overall, this made my track a lot clearer and sound up to a professional standard
All projects from here are bounced at 44.1kHz and 16bit as it is industry standard, gives me the option to give the band a CD copy or USB copy while saving computer space
Creep by Radiohead - Band cover in college
Creep by Radiohead is an amazing song, and the band I mixed the song for did an amazing job at recreating it, the timing was good, the guitars sounded heavy in the parts they were meant to and the drums were solid throughout.
In this session, there are 5 different vocal takes, for the simple reason if you need a better take then you go for another one.
However, instead of picking a favorite then discarding the others, I decided to automate them coming in at different parts and use them as harmonies to make the mix sound a lot wider and due to the harmonies, any bad notes were covered with the voices all going at once. For the verses, I decided that I would have only one main vocal and for the chorus VOX 2 and VOX 3 would come in. For the bridge however all the vocals flush in and it makes the song sound as if its at its peak. After this, during the last chorus, I had all vocals cut out then come in again and once the lyrics and song came to an end I automated it so that all of the vocals but one would drop out and the drums would fade away, this let the guitar bass and one last line of “I’m just a weirdo” make the song sound complete and as if the song has finished its journey.
Screenshots about this session will be available in the knowledge section of the website.
In this session I also put a shelf on the guitars that cut off any high frequencies above 6kHz, this left a lot of space for the vocal harmonies. In addition to this, the guitars don't go above around 5kHz and everything above that is unwanted spillage and noise.
Here you can listen to the finished mix.
Set me free
Set me free is a project where I had to use a variety of different techniques in order to remix then mix the song I made. I was given a very large session with around 11 different guitar parts in it as well as different synths and overdubs. From there I then listened to all the separate guitar tracks and start splicing out different parts to make them either loops or just use them for a certain part of the song such as the chorus. In addition to this, I also did the same thing with the synths in the session. I was given around 4 synths and ended up making a loop and using it as a pad in the mix.
Following all these edits I began piecing the song together and ended up with a very satisfying song, with many different guitar parts in different sections as well as different types of synths that really keep the track interesting throughout the run time.
In this session I also had to program drums, I was given drums. But, it was a simple pattern of a kick of the first beat and snare on the third with high-hats throughout. When programming the drums I made separate parts in the channel/level page, this then let me insert the different parts into different places of the song, making the song sound more complete and well-rounded. Although I have not completed the automation and finalised the mix for this song yet I will be putting the rough mix here so you can compare the two later when I have finished both. At the end of the project, I have eight guitars each with different parts and two of them running throughout the song. I also have seven different drum beats throughout the song, for fills as well as verses, pre-chorus and chorus. There are also seven synths in the track and six vocals, one main and the others harmonising. However, things may change depending on how the final mix comes out. For information on how I completed this session check the knowledge page.
My Sweet Lord.
"My Sweet Lord" is a Christian pop track I recorded for a band. Not the usual thing I do. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the recording and mixing process of this song. I used spot mics as well as stereo arrays to record this song as I wanted to make it feel big, using the room to my advantage and not the mix feel small by using separate mics for every person and instrument recorded. Because of my use of stereo mics, my mix is filled with natural reverb. For more information on how I miked up check the experience page, there you can see where I positioned the mics to achieve this sound.
Down To The River
This was another Christian song I recorded for a band. However, in this session I used mostly stereo arrays with only a few spot mics to reinforce the stereo arrays I placed. This made my final mix of the track sound very natural. In this session I decided it would be good to use minimal processing, so I only used EQ as well as compressors on channels that needed them. I am happy with the way this mixed turned out. It is filled with natural reverb and feels nice.
Please listen to the track here.
Another World Another Planet
This is a project I worked on using the software Izotope RX8. When I first opened up the track I realized that there was some very big issues.
There was a lot of noise in the track, alongside crackles and clicks. Making the track sound unprofessional and not up to a streamable standard.
I began using the plug-ins on RX8 and slowly but surely remastered the track to the way it should sound
Here Comes The Sun
I also used RX8 to clean up this track, this track had a lot of the same issues as "Another World Another Planet". I used the same type of plug-ins in order to adjust and fix the track to make it industry ready.
The uneditted track is on the left and the edited track is on the left.
La Fillie aux Cheveux
This is the third and final track I cleaned up using the software RX8. This track was very delicate and I wanted to keep that essence to it when I was taking out all the unwanted noise, crackles and clicks. To make sure I achieve this I used the output only feature on the plug-ins so I can hear exactly what it was going to take out without effecting the feel of the song.